So many toys to choose from and so many questions about what is the best to buy for your child or grandchild. Here's some advice from me... a Mom of 5, grandma to 9, co-founder of Funfit® Family Fitness (1987) and founder of BeABetterParent.com and have spent my career playing with kids and parents and coaching and advising. The simpler the better. Great news!! Simpler toys are not as expensive and encourage cognitive and social development, creativity, curiosity and long term play. Electronic toys that basically do things themselves are more expensive and just gives the child something to watch, limits imagination and loses appeal quickly. So what's great to get? BALLS of all kinds and sizes. Beach balls and foam balls make fun indoor play with little damage to your stuff. HULA HOOPS... all sizes for not just hula hooping but also driving (makes a great steering wheel), putting on the ground and jumping in and out of, get a few and make a track. SWIMMING POOL NOODLES (cut them in half simply with a knife and you can 2 noodles for the price of one)... makes great hockey sticks, golf clubs, baseball bats for little ones, riding ponies, limbo sticks, tons of fun for everyone! BALLOONS... under inflated and tons of fun! SCARVES & RIBBONS for dancing. Music too. Nothing like a fun freeze dance. OBSTACLE COURSES made out of whatever is in the house. Make sure you have them going under, over, around and through. SIDEWALK CHALK... draw pictures, games, lines to walk on, hopscotch... let the creativity soar. NATURE HUNTS, TREASURE HUNTS.... be creative and let the exploration begin! TAG GAMES... run around outside with your child and some tag! YOU'RE IT! This is a great start to having fun and laughing more for you and your child. REMINDER, don't just watch join in the fun! WANT TO SQUEEZE IN MORE EXERCISE INTO YOUR DAY? No better exercise program than running around with your child or grandchild. Hope this helps... comment below what your favorite toy/game is to get you moving in body & mind.

In this activity, your job is to be the Observer. You are there to witness the work, but you aren't there to direct it. Side Note: This also works well when supervising or managing adults! The Mission: Decoding The Hiccup 1. Spend 10 minutes, just 10, watching your child play. 2. No talking. No "helping." No suggesting. No phone. Just watch. 3. Watch for that moment where things stop going smoothly. The frustration starts to bubble up because the blocks won't stay up or the marker ran out. 4. When that hiccup happens, count to ten slowly in your head. Do not "save" the moment. Give their brain ten seconds to struggle. 5. While you count, try to see what’s actually happening. Is their brain struggling with how things balance, the rules of the game, or just the feeling of being frustrated? The Ownership Hook: If they look at you for help after your 10 seconds are up, don't give them the answer. Give them a question that puts them back in charge: "I noticed the wheels aren't staying on. I wonder what a Master Mechanic would try to keep them steady?" Why this works: By staying in the background, you are telling them: "I trust your brain to figure this out." That trust is the most important "toy" in the house. Your Turn: What was the hiccup in your house today? Did you actually make it to 10 seconds without jumping in? Tell us what you noticed about how they tried to fix it!

Let’s have some fun today and leave our boxed board games behind. For this activity you and your kids will try a game that has been played for centuries in another part of the world using only what you have on hand. Getting Started: 1. Search for a "Traditional game from [Country]" that uses only simple materials. (Try: "How to play Otedama" from Japan, "How to play Pallanguzhi" from India, or "How to play Marbles"). 2. Set up the game using buttons, beans, pebbles, or even small rolled-up socks. 3. Play three rounds. Focus on the flow of the game rather than who is winning. The Twist: The "Rule Exchange." After the first round, "collaborate" on a new rule that changes the game’s "pressure." Maybe you have to play with your non-dominant hand, or you have to give a compliment every time you score. Options for Older Kids: Ages 9–11 (The Game Historian): Search for the history of a game they already love (like Chess or Futbol or if you’re in the USA Soccer). Trace its "ancestry" back to its original culture. Ages 12–14 (The Logic Audit): Compare a "Strategy" game (like Mancala) to a "Luck" game (like Ludo). Ask: "Which one makes you feel more 'pressure' to be perfect? Why?" Ages 15–17 (The Spirit of Play): Search for the "Ethical rules" of different global sports (like the concept of Haka in Rugby or the "Respect" protocols in Martial Arts). Ask: "How would our local high school sports change if these values were the most important thing on the scoreboard?" Your Turn Which global game did you try? Was it harder or easier than the games you usually play?

When you have time, invite the household members for a planning session and share that you are going to treat your home like a "Command Center." Your goal is to move through the house and identify where your "Safety Assets" are located. Because this can be scary, I encourage you to incorporate the Notice & Wonder strategy. Here’s an example: "I noticed that we have a flashlight in the drawer. I wonder what else we might need if the lights went out for two days?" For this activity, I’ve also created more detail by age to help guide the experience, of course, you know your family best, so adjust as needed. Ages 3–5: The "Go-Bag" Show & Tell The Goal: Familiarize them with emergency gear so it doesn't look "scary." The Play: "Packing for an Adventure." Give them a small backpack. Have them find three things they would want to have if the power went out (a favorite stuffie, a whistle, a specific snack). The Rule: Practice "Red Light, Green Light" to an exit. When you say "Safety Stop," they have to freeze and look for the nearest door. Ages 6–8: The Map Makers The Goal: Spatial awareness of safety routes. The Play: Draw a "treasure map" of the house. Mark two ways out of every room with a big red X. The Logic: Go outside to your "Family Meeting Spot" (a specific tree or mailbox). Have a "Picnic" there so the spot feels like a happy, safe anchor, not just an emergency spot. Ages 9–11: The Comms Captains The Goal: Information management. The Play: Create a "Communication Card." Who is our "Out-of-Town Contact"? (It’s often easier to call long-distance than local during a crisis). The Challenge: Have them memorize the phone number of one person who doesn't live in your house. In a world of digital contacts, "Brain Storage" is the ultimate safety asset. Ages 12–14: The Quartermasters The Goal: Resource inventory and systems. The Play: "The 72-Hour Audit." Have them go to the pantry and find enough food to feed the family for 3 days without using the stove or microwave.

Here’s a fun activity I would play with my kids when we traveled. It ties in great with yesterday’s prompt of myth making and storytelling. When playing at home, everyone builds on the story by adding a sentence or idea. I would designate one person as scribe. The scribe writes down the story and reads it back at the end and also plays. For our online version, I’ll start the story and everyone gets to add a sentence. Rules: - One sentence at a time - You can add more than one sentence but they can’t be in a row. - Copy the existing story into a comment and add your sentence. Story ends at 11:59 pm CDT today. I’ll start. Tagging a few to get us started. Thanks @Allan R. for the first sentence. @Daniel Cavaretta @Adam Formanek @Betty Jo Winters @Mayelice Castro @Andrea Quintal Portas @Anna Brown @Janell Bitton @Blue Mojo @Celia Kibler @Charlie Svensson @Aurelie Delahalle @Gus Gray @Max Orlewicz @Lisa Vanderveen @Mukkove Johnson